Kohaku

I need everyone's opinion on the below Kohaku.... Please give honest comments soon as possible.It's a 50 - 54cm female that was imported from Marudo about 2 years ago.

Very sorry about the picture quality but the sun was very strong and you can clearly see the shade from the net in the first pic. Pics doesn't actually do the fish justice but gives you an idea of the patttern and overall body shape. The fins aren't clear in any of the pics but trust me when I say that they're 100% spotless.

The red extends a bit into the tail area and no tailstop and overall a bit to much hi to my liking. A bit of red over the eyes which is a demerit with little white on the head. Menware could be better. The quality of hi and shiroji appears to be very good. A good breeding Kohaku. Bodyshape better than the Showa.

The hi on the head does not seem to be fully extended on to the gill plates or side of the head, full menkaburi, but rather to just below the eyes, both of which are white so are not too much of a demerit in judging terms.

If are you are being asked a couple of hundred rand for this then probably not too bad for your pond,

It is however impossible to judge show quality from this picture as it is almost impossible to see the skin, shiroji and hi quality.

p.s

be carefull with thos specimen carp landing nets as the ray of the anal fin often gets snagged in them.

Ojima this means the last Hi patch. It should end about 3/4 inches (2cm) from the tail in a small koi (30cm) and as the Koi gets larger the gap to the tail will increase somewhat, hopefully to give a balanced look to the Hi.

chris back to your fish for a minute - i dont think its all bad - are you evaluating it as the next supreme grand champion? or do you just want to know if it makes the grade as a good kohaku. I certainly think its a solid fish with a reasonable body shape - the photo is poor so anyone's guess about the hi and the white - that being said looks like the rear pattern line is fairly strong.

As I said in the main post:Imported from Marudo in Japan about 2 years ago.50cm femaleGuy wants R1500 but it's negotiable.I'm not looking for a fish to enter into any show. I want a fish with a good bloodline for breeding.I don't want to rush into buying so I'm still looking around.These pictures don't do this fish justice. The hi on the fish is the same throughout and it very clear. There's also a bit of development still to come I think.

Can anyone tell me if I should receive any sort of proof that this koi was bought in Japan or is it just a matter of trust? I don't know what papers (if any) one receives when buying from Japan...Also, should I request a KHV certificate?